HUDSON COUNTY - From Monday, Oct. 22 until approximately Tuesday, Nov. 20 United Water will close the Jersey City aqueduct. During this time United Water customers in Jersey City and Hoboken will receive their water supply from the Passaic Valley Water Commission, the North Jersey District Water Supply, and the Newark Water Department.

The company will inspect and perform maintenance on parts of the 100-year old tunnel system. In addition, maintenance and improvements will be made at the city's water treatment plant in Boonton. "This work is part of routine maintenance that is typically performed every 2-3 years and will help us to

ensure water quality and service reliability," said John Hroncich, an operations manager for United Water in Jersey City.

Customers may experience discolored water at the beginning and end of the shutdown. This is a buildup of minerals in the water mains. It is recommended that customers let their water run clear before using it for drinking, cooking, or washing clothes and dishes. United Water crews will also flush the system to remove and minimize discoloration.

The project, which was originally set to begin in earlier this month, was rescheduled while maintenance work was completed on an interconnection that will provide customers with an alternate water source while the aqueduct is shut down.

"We want to ensure that our customers have a reliable source of supply of water while we perform necessary maintenance," said Hroncich. "In preparation for the inspection, a leak was discovered on the Newark Water Department pipeline which will be used to provide temporary water service to our customers. Now that Newark has repaired the leak, we can proceed."

For more information about the shutdown, call the customer service center at (800) 575-4433 or visit unitedwater.com.